I am honored to lead the Resources Division at LifeWay and serve with a team of leaders who are passionate to serve the Church in Her mission of making disciples. Each Wednesday, I share the heart behind one of the resources our team has developed and give an opportunity for you to register to win….
Church Leaders
Menus Create Church Consumers
For years church leaders have lamented church consumers, and rightly so. Church consumers treat their local churches like a country club; they have paid their fees and deserve a certain level of service in return. They threaten to join another club if things are not to their liking. Church consumers are not motivated by the…
What Kind of Dog Are You? [Thoughts from Shoe Dog for Ministry Leaders]
I just finished reading Shoe Dog, the memoir from Phil Knight, the creator of Nike. While the title is catchy, you don’t learn what a “shoe dog” is until page 186 when Knight describes them: “People who devoted themselves wholly to the making, selling, buying, or designing of shoes. Lifers used this phrase cheerfully to…
Links for Leaders 9/22/17
Why Control Freaks Rarely Lead Large Churches Or Organizations—Carey Nieuwhof If you insist on controlling everything, you will eventually hit a wall in which the size of your church or organization shrinks back to the size of your personal span of care. Until you let go. In other words, if you want to limit your…
Choosing the Time of Your Next Worship Service
For years churches have moved to multiple worship services instead of building bigger buildings, which is a wise use of the facility the Lord has provided to the church. When adding a second service, the choice is fairly simple. While the times may vary from context to context, two services “back to back” make it…
Links for Leaders 9/8/17
The Vital Importance of Respect in Leadership—Scott Cochrane The best leaders I know make it a point to place people in their orbit who will intentionally challenge their ideas. This produces better outcomes and keeps the leader’s ego in check. 4 Lies That Cause Pastors to Neglect Their Families—Jaime Owens Among young pastors and church…
Links for Leaders 8/11/17
Be Careful to Not “Use” Your Spiritual Disciplines—Michael Kelley So train yourself, Christian. But train yourself for the work of surrender. Guard against the pride of achievement that convinces you that God owes you something for what you have done. It’s Not Just You: These Super Successful People Suffer From Imposter Syndrome—Stephanie Vozza While it’s…
Links for Leaders 8/4/17
“Leaders must be able to start things. Leaders must be able to complete things. And, more often than you’d think, sometimes leaders have to put an end to things.” Scott Cochrane shares three times a leader must kill a good idea. “The world many leaders stepped into when they began in ministry no longer exists.”…
Links for Leaders 7/28/17
“One aspect of leadership is appreciating the people one leads. I must admit, this has to be a discipline for me, because I’m not naturally wired for this.” Ron Edmondson shares seven suggestions for leaders when they are offering praise. “How do you lead your congregation to be a people that reflect the Gospel? The…
5 Reasons We Struggle to Rest
July is often a time many ministry leaders rest. For years it has been a time when I have taken some extra time to slow down, read more, vacation with my girls, and not go to the office as much. Whether you rest in July or not, you do need to rest. Rest is not…